There is a setting on the workflow states in EPDM that is easy to overlook but can drive you nuts while troubleshooting. That setting is “Ignore permissions in previous states.” In 2011, it is the green flag icon on the State Box. (Previously the icon was a hand.)

Why this setting can be troublesome.
If this flag is not set there will be circumstances where permissions set at a particular state are not followed.  This particularly happens when a permission was granted at an earlier state but removed at a later state.  Let’s go through an example. I’m going to use a simple workflow and explain what happens with “Read file contents” for two groups.

 

Scenario 1:
The “Ignore permissions in previous states” flag is NOT selected for any state.

Permission: Can “Read file contents”

 

 

With this setup someone in Sales should be able to see any file that is in the Released state but not in any other state.

 

 

 

A document was added to the vault and is currently in the Initiated State.

This is what an Engineering user sees:               This is what a Sales user sees:

 

 

 

 

So far everything is as expected.

Change State was initiated on the document and it was sent to the Released State.

This is what an Engineering user sees:                 This is what a Sales user sees:

 

 

 

 

 

At this point, this is what we planned with our workflow.

Now, though, let’s Change State on the document again and send it to the Under Editing State.

This is what an Engineering user sees:                 This is what a Sales user sees:

 

 

 

 

 

Wait a minute! The Sales user is NOT supposed to see files in Under Editing. So what’s going on?

It has to do with that little green flag. Because we did not set the “Ignore permissions in previous states”, the Sales user can see the file when it is Under Editing because they were able to see it in the previous Released state.

 

Scenario 2:

Let’s try this again with a new file but this time we’ll set the “Ignore permissions” flag in all states.

This is what an Engineering user sees:                 This is what a Sales user sees:

 

 

 

 

 

Change state to Released.
This is what an Engineering user sees:                  This is what a Sales user sees:

 

 

 

 

 

OK, so far, so good.

Change state to Under Editing.
This is what an Engineering user sees:                  This is what a Sales user sees:

 

 

 

 

 

This time, this is exactly what we wanted to happen.

By turning on the “Ignore permissions in previous states” flag, the permissions set for each state were followed exactly as we set them.  So don’t ignore that little green flag!

When Toolbox parts are saved out as separate, unique files, they retain information about their parentage.  It’s called a Toolbox flag.  In the past it usually didn’t cause a problem but in SolidWorks 2011, a setting was added that could potentially cause your saved parts to be replaced with standard Toolbox components.  You can tell if a component has a Toolbox flag by the bolt icon showing in the Assembly tree.

The new setting tells SolidWorks to always look in the Toolbox location for Toolbox components.   Uncheck this setting and SolidWorks should find your parts correctly.

The best solution, though, is to turn off the Toolbox flag on your components and turn them into regular SolidWorks parts.  There is a program that is installed with SolidWorks that will do this.

1. Go to C:\Program Files\SolidWorks Corp 2011\SolidWorks\Toolbox\data utilities and look for sldsetdocprop.exe
2. Double click on the executable file.
3. Make sure the Property State is set to No under Set Document Property.
   Check Part Files.
   Select either Add Files… to select individual files or Add Directories… to select an entire folder.
4. Click Update Status.
5. To verify the status of a file after running the program, select a file and click Show Selected property.

If you have any questions, please give Tech Support a call at 763-560-8600, Option 4.

The SolidWorks Customer Portal is one of your best resources for information and support for the SolidWorks family of software.  From the Portal you’ll have a quick link to:

• Downloads and Updates to update your SolidWorks, Enterprise, and 3DVIA software
• Knowledge Base where you can search for solutions to questions and problems
• Enhancement Requests where you can influence how the software will work in the future
• Fixed SPR list to see what issues have been fixed in the new versions and service packs.
• Forums where you can connect with other SolidWorks users and find solutions to your challenges or help others with theirs
• Certification to find out how to join an elite group of SolidWorks users by becoming certified
• Admin Guides to find the documentation for What’s New, Installation, Administration
• Learning Resources to have access to tutorial files, Administrative Guides, Tech Tips, & other resources

 This is not an exhaustive list of all of the resources but I hope it’s enough to pique your interest.

 Creating an Account

To access the Customer Portal, select the Login link on the top of the SolidWorks home page http://www.solidworks.com then select SolidWorks Customer Portal.

 Login using your existing account information.  If you do not have an account yet you will have to create one.

 To create a member account:

1. Select the Click here to create an account short cut beneath Not a member?
2. Select Customer and enter the serial number.
3. Enter a valid email address, click Next.  As with most forms the * fields are required, the rest are optional.
4. Fill in your first name and your last name, click Next.
5. Enter the account information, click Next.  The account name is the company name.
6. Enter a password and fill in some profile questions, click Next.
7. Then you will be required to accept the “Export Eligibility Requirements” agreement.
8. Once you accept the agreement you will be brought to the SolidWorks Customer Portal.

NOTE: Many of the links in the Self Service area are not available () unless you have entered a serial number that has an active subscription service contract.  You must Register My Products under the My Support section to unlock the links.

Once you’re in, take some time and explore all of the resources.  You’ll probably be surprised at all of the information available to you.

As always, if you have any questions, please give us a call.

Back in the olden days (Windows XP) many of us were told to turn off all of the graphical bells and whistles to free up more resources for SolidWorks. So if you’ve upgraded to Windows 7 you might still think that’s what you should do. Well come to find out, in Windows 7 you want to use one of the cool desktop themes (called Aero) if you want SolidWorks to work at its best. Using basic themes disables some 3-D graphical acceleration that SolidWorks uses.

Microsoft calls this the “Aero desktop experience.” According to Microsoft: “You can enjoy visually appealing effects and appearance and also benefit from better access to your programs.” If you want to read more about the Aero experience go to http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/What-is-the-Aero-desktop-experience.  There is a great explanation about the visual effects and switching between programs.

To check to see if you are currently using an Aero theme, right click on the Desktop and select Personalize. Scroll down and you will see a group called Aero Themes. Select one of those or go online and download one of the many other themes available and enjoy!

OK, this blog is not a rant or rave – it’s just a gentle push to get you technophobes out there to learn how to be comfortable using your computer. So here goes…

• A pilot knows how to take off and fly but didn’t think he needed to learn how to land. He figures gravity will take care of it.
• A surgeon didn’t bother learning anatomy. He figures he’ll just dig around and eventually find your appendix.

These aren’t going to happen, thankfully, but the idea is no different than if you don’t learn how to do your job completely because you haven’t learned how to use your computer.

I’ve been involved in teaching people how to use software for over twenty years. Back in 1988, the majority o f the people in my class had never used a computer before. That was understandable. But that’s not the case today. Your computer is probably a critical part of your job and it’s as important as a pilot learning how to land or a surgeon learning anatomy. If you can’t use one of the tools of your job you cost the company money.

Fear is usually the main reason for not learning how to be comfortable using your computer. Some important things you need to know if you do something wrong:
1. Your computer will not blow up.
2. You won’t take down your company’s network.
3. You won’t take down the electric grid.
4. You won’t start WW III.

If you’re not comfortable using your computer and getting around in Windows you can:
• Take a class – you should be able to find a free or inexpensive class at your local school or library.
• Read a book – There are lots of books available like the “for Dummies” series or “The Complete Idiot’s Guide” series. These are written for people who aren’t experts but need to learn. Ask at a book store or the library.
• Check out the internet – OK, I know. You can’t use a computer now, so how can you check the internet? Well, there are people to help you –coworkers, family, friends, or a librarian.

Remember you don’t have to learn HOW a computer works; you just need to learn how to USE it.

Do you ever get the feeling that your computer is doing things behind your back?  Does it take a long time to boot up in the morning?  If so, then you probably have programs running in the background that open on startup that you aren’t aware of.  To see a list of these, run the msconfig program built into your Windows operating system.

In Windows XP, click on Start, then Run, and then type in msconfig. 

In Vista or Windows 7, click on Start, and then type msconfig in the Search box.

Click on the Startup tab and uncheck the ones you don’t want to run at start up.  The next time you reboot, those programs will not start.

 

If you use the Complete Search as the basis for your search card, you may want to change the default value for some of the check boxes like “Display Folders” or “Search all versions.”  The method to do this is not clear in the Administration Guide for 2011 and isn’t explained in the Help.  It’s not hard, just hard to find!

1. Open the Card Editor and open the search card.
2. Go to the Card menu and select Default Values.
3. In the Default values window, select “Click here to add variable.”
   Scroll down and select the variable such as Find Files, Find Folders, or Search Previous Versions.
4. Click in the Value column and enter 0 to uncheck.
5. Repeat for any other variables.

 

When you type in parameters for a design table, Excel sees the @ symbol and assumes you want this to be a hyperlink. That’s great for those times when it really is a hyperlink but in a design table it can be rather annoying.

So to keep hyperlinks from being created automatically:

• Click on the Office button in the upper left corner in Excel 2007
• Select Excel Options at the bottom of the window.
• From the Proofing page, click on the AutoCorrect Options button
• Go to the AutoFormat As You Type tab
• Uncheck “Internet and network paths with hyperlinks”

 

One of the default settings in Windows Explorer that can not only cause a problem in SolidWorks but can also be a potential security issue is Hidden File Extensions.

Since this is a blog for SolidWorks, I’ll mention the SolidWorks issue first. I had a support call from a customer who was having a problem saving her Sheet Format. She had everything laid out like she needed and went to File>Save Sheet Format but when she tried to use the format it wasn’t available. When she saved the sheet format, the file extension was not added because she had the file extensions hidden. As soon as we turned them back on and she resaved the sheet format, it worked okay.

When using the meta-properties in 3DVIA that are coming from the Custom Properties in SolidWorks files, be aware how 3DVIA deals with capitalization of the property names.

While SolidWorks and Windows Explorer don’t see the difference between DESCRIPTION, Description, and description (as long as they are all spelled the same), 3DVIA see these as three different properties. Therefore if your BOM only lists DESCRIPTION and some of the actors have one of the other two variations of the word, that cell in the BOM will be blank.  So it is important to verify that the Custom Properties are consistent.